Carding machines or scribblers are used to open (separate) or align, homogenize (in the production of fleece) and/or parallelize (in the production of yarns) fibers of a fiber material, for example, wool, cotton or even synthetic fibers or a fiber mixture. By means of the carding process it is possible to produce a fiber web from a fiber material. The fiber web consists of a loose structure of ordered individual fibers. For example, it is possible to produce a fleece from such a fiber web. The fiber web is formed during the carding process in that the fibers are taken up and combined by a large clothing roller referred to as the drum of the card with the aid of a removal means.
The carding machine may comprise different clothing rollers. Each clothing roller is provided with radially outward pointing teeth, serrations, tips or the like. The number and/or the size or the density of the teeth, serrations or tips, their shape and configuration may vary.
Usually, the clothing rollers are provided with all-steel card clothings. The latter consist of a profiled clothing wire that is wound under tension onto the respective clothing roller. The clothing wire has a base segment and a leaf segment. The base segment may have a rectangular or square cross-section, for example. The base segment extends away from the leaf segment, i.e., in operative position, approximately transversely relative to the generated surface of the clothing roller. A sawtooth profile is provided on the leaf segment in order to form the teeth or serrations. The clothing wire is wound around the generated surface of the clothing roller while being tensioned in longitudinal direction, and the two ends are fastened to the clothing roller.
The all-steel card clothing should display the longest possible useful life. It must not or only insignificantly damage the fibers and should allow an optimal homogenization or parallelization of the fibers during the production of the fiber web.
Clothing wires that have leaf segments provided with structures have been known from prior art.
For example, the clothing wire known from publication DE 40 38 352 A1 has a base segment and a leaf segment with a sawtooth profile. Both lateral surfaces of the leaf segment are provided with a profile. The profile may be convoluted or serrated. Also, a similar clothing wire is known from publication DE 42 40 026 C2.
Publication DE 39 40 714 A1 shows a clothing wire that has a non-symmetrical projection on the wire lateral surface in the region of the tooth base.
Publication EP 0 322 474 A1 introduces a clothing wire, wherein the tooth tips a laterally bent. However, there are no elevations on the tooth tips.
Publication EP 1 408 142 A1 describes a clothing wire with a base segment and a leaf segment having lateral surfaces potentially displaying differently configured profiles. For example, one lateral surface may have a convexly elevated profile, whereas the respectively other lateral surface is provided with a profile having concave recesses.
Referring to the clothing wire known from publication U.S. Pat. No. 3,391,429 A (or U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,789 B1), at least one lateral surface of the leaf segment—viewed in cross-section of the wire—is corrugated or serrated (or convoluted).
Publication WO 2011/138322 A1 describes a clothing wire, wherein the leaf segment may be configured with a flat lateral surface and with a profiled lateral surface. As the profile—viewed in cross-section—there are two semi-circular convex elevations on the lateral surface of the leaf segment.
Publication WO 94/05837 A1 (or JP 61006320 A) suggests the provision of a clothing wire having a surface that can be coated for increasing the friction (or for increasing the abrasion resistance and the corrosion resistance).
Publication EP 2 508 658 A shows a clothing wire, wherein it is not the lateral surfaces but the faces of the teeth that are structured by means of projections having a nose-like profile.